Debbie Whitlock

July 18, 2008

Debbie Whitlock

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Debbie Whitlock, company president

Now: company president

Then: budwood harvester

Current position: President and co-founder, Sound Financial Partners, which creates sustainable investment strategies for women in transition due to divorce or the death of their husband or partner.

First job: At 13, I worked on a crew that would start at 6 a.m. in the middle of an orchard in Central Washington, clipping the leaves and tops and bottoms of branches from apple trees. We'd bundle them in groups of 50, wrap them in moist burlap and transport them to a Central Washington nursery where they would be used for grafting varieties of apple trees. I did that every summer until I was 16, then I joined the circus ... really.

What I learned: The art of conversation and the gift of silence. Sitting for eight-hour shifts with 15 or so other young people, we spent a lot of time talking about life and our futures. Personally, I enjoyed the listening the best. People like to talk about themselves and rarely have the opportunity.

Want to tell us about your first job? E-mail jobmarket@seattletimes.com

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